Congress dubs BJP stand on Nuke deal "hypocritical.'

New Delhi, Sep 21 (UNI) The Congress Party today dismissed as "hypocritical" and "opportunistic" the BJP's criticism of the UPA government on the Indo-US Nuclear deal as well as the Ram Setu issue.

AICC Spokesman Abishek Manu Singhvi told mediapersons that the previous BJP-led NDA government had tried its best to strike a deal with the US on nuclear cooperation.

The then Prime Minister A B Vajpayee and his Foreign Minister had also assured the USA that India would not undertake nuclear tests in future.

BJP President Rajnath Singh alleged earlier in the day that the UPA government had been committing a mistake by compromising India's long term strategic interests in the ongoing talks on Indo-US nuclear deal.

Mr Singh also made a reference about the bungling of the UPA government on the Ram Setu controversy, while delivering an address at the opening session of the three-day National Executive of the Party in Bhopal.

On Ram Setu controversy, Dr Singhvi said it was the NDA government which had conceived the Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project and went ahead with the project.